Below is a short summary and detailed review of this video written by FutureFactual:
Doubt, Science, and Policy: Naomi Oreskes on Industry Tactics and Climate Action
In this talk, historian Naomi Oreskes explains how tobacco and fossil fuel industries deliberately sow doubt about science to erode public trust and delay regulation. She traces how this doubt is not about outright lies, but about confusion that makes credible science harder to accept. The discussion covers the tobacco industry as a well-documented case, the ongoing tactics of the fossil fuel sector around climate change, and why governments, funding, and communication are crucial to address market failures and protect public health and the environment. The video also explores how science communication and public institutions can counter these strategies and strengthen democratic decision-making around science-based policy.
Introduction and Context
Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science at Harvard, outlines a troubling dynamic in which powerful industries seek to undermine public trust in science. She notes a coordinated effort to foster corrosive skepticism that goes beyond asking questions and edges toward categorical rejection of scientific findings. This frame sets up the central concern: how do we preserve the integrity of science in the public sphere when influential actors profit from doubt?
The Not-Lying, Just-Confusion Strategy
One of the core ideas is that the opposition does not always rely on explicit falsehoods. As Oreskes puts it, “it’s not really based on lying, it’s based on confusion.” This distinction matters because it helps explain why credible science can be so effectively muddied and why simple correction can be insufficient to restore trust.
The Tobacco Industry as a Case Study
The tobacco industry provides the most thoroughly studied example of doubt mongering. Oreskes emphasizes that decades of documents prove deliberate strategies to challenge causal links between smoking and cancer by pointing to other risk factors, thereby sowing doubt about well-established science. “The most well studied example of doubt mongering comes from the tobacco industry.” This section frames why real-world scrutiny of industry tactics is essential for public health.
Climate Change Doubt and Fossil Fuels
The discussion then turns to climate science and the fossil fuel industry. Despite overwhelming evidence that carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels drives climate change, some actors insist on uncertainty and promote alternatives such as renewables being unreliable or expensive. Oreskes argues that, while there are legitimate scientific questions about details, the broad consensus on warming and its human causes is robust, and the industry’s strategy mirrors earlier doubt campaigns from tobacco.
Regulation, Public Funding, and the Public Good
A key theme is the role of government and public funding in sustaining long-term science. Regulation is described as a market intervention to correct externalities, not as a rejection of science. Oreskes explains that many climate-related costs are externalized and that scientists often illuminate these costs, creating a basis for policy action. She also discusses the complementarity of public and private sectors, arguing that long-term scientific capacity requires public investment and institutional infrastructure, just as preparedness for pandemics and other global challenges depends on sustained investment in science education and research ecosystems.
Communication, Trust, and the Future of Science
Finally, the talk emphasizes the responsibility of scientists to engage with the public and to clearly explain not only what is known but how it is known. Oreskes argues that the demand for trust is not a failure of science, but a call for better science communication and greater transparency about methods, uncertainties, and the evidence base. The discussion also challenges libertarian critiques of regulation, underscoring that the public interest and general welfare must be balanced against individual freedoms in a functioning democracy.
Quotes
"There are people out there, people in the world who are deliberately trying to foment distrust in science" - Naomi-Oreskes
"It’s not really based on lying, it’s based on confusion" - Naomi-Oreskes
"The most well studied example of doubt mongering comes from the tobacco industry" - Naomi-Oreskes
"Regulation isn’t really a question about science it’s really a question about markets" - Naomi-Oreskes